I got curious about conditions in Alabama Department of Corrections after the recent hostage situation and some comments that were made, particularly around the amount of in custody deaths. I’m going to share some of what I’ve found, it’s pretty horrifying.
The state of Alabama is spending 1/4 of its total budget on mass incarceration and these are the results -
The entire ADOC system, for both men and women, was found to be unconstitutional by the US DOJ for failure to protect inmates from violence and cruel and unusual punishment.
According to the Alabama Appleseed mortality rates in ADOC have increased more than in any other state prison system. Alabama prisons had a mortality rate of 1,293 deaths per 100,000 in 2022 - four times the national average for the year. Alabama has released no plan on how to reduce inmate deaths.
Over 5,000 people are serving life or life without parole, many of them because of draconian three strike laws, 75% of whom are Black.
Last year (2022) 270 people died in ADOC custody - at least 95 of those deaths were considered preventable. Preventable deaths include things like homicide, suicide, and overdose.
In October 2022, ADOC eliminated monthly reporting of the numbers of deaths and replaced them with quarterly reports that “reflect the findings of closed investigations.” This means reports are often behind by months (potentially more) and unreliable. Based on information released so far, and tips reporters have gotten, the expected death toll this year is already up to about 110 people. Four people at the Donaldson Correctional Facility died in one week in June. Three people died in custody across the state in one day on Monday, August 7th.
15% of people in ADOC custody are there for nonviolent drug offenses. There has been a 70% drop in people receiving drug treatment programs since 2015. The ADOC budget has nearly doubled in that time.
#ADOC #Alabama #prisons #abolition #FreeThemAll